Chapter 4a
Kaori and Amanda
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"If memory serves, she was quite old. You must have used vampiric powers to help you. Strong ones. Stronger than many of the remaining full-blooded vampires."
::She assumes a (long censored phrase) lot.::
::She is simply not stupid. For an ex-hunter, she's surprisingly well-informed.::
She eased herself onto her right elbow, looking at him.
"Have you always been this quiet? Or was it the years as a Hunter, Prince Tepes?"
::D... what name did she just call you? *Tepes*?::
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::One very few living people have ever heard of, though I must wonder why she guessed it. It's my given last name. I never told you because I never thought anyone was left alive who would dare say it.::
"What makes you think I'm a prince of vampires? I'm a dhampire."
"Precisely. You really do look just like him, too."
::D.... D, I don't like this. She knows too much. She knows a name you never even told *me* and I'm a piece of you!::
::Quiet.::
::D! Snap out of it, with anyone else you would already have your sword drawn, D- don't tell me that after all this time your heretofore nonexistent hormones are finally kicking in on someone who knows more about things you never told me and who could probably-::
::She is no barborois. She is also no vampire.::
::D! You're trusting her blindly! D! Stop ignoring me, the broad's dangerous! D!::
She continued in her soft voice, too calmly.
"Then again, who would ever suspect Dracula, King of all Vampires, to have a dhampire son after all?" Here, her voice turned priggish, drawling the next sentence tauntingly, in a mockery of what any vampire would ever say.
"How could the bloodthirsty Vampire King *ever* love a mere mortal?"
She snorted.
"Sessha has seen paintings in various castles of the Vampire King, castles that shortly thereafter crumbled around this one's ears, but nevertheless..."
She regarded D evenly.
"Nevertheless, you are almost a perfect match for those portraits, and you walk in daylight. So, this one is curious. Why are you a Hunter?"
D ignored the question.
"You're certainly well-informed to make such a wild assumption."
Her eyes had been shifting color in different shades of grey for the past few moments' and settled on a storm cloud tone as she met his gaze for a thoughtful moment.
"Though it is not a wild assumption, it does include a few assumed things. One of which is that you have the dagger that matches that sapphire amulet you're always wearing. And if you don't, then you know where to find said dagger, made of silver and platinum, with a double-flat-sided sapphire as a pommel-stone..."
A clatter on the other side of the door interrupted their conversation.
::Lucky save, that. D, we need to get out of here, or you need to take her out. You said it yourself, she's not a human, so you're not obliged to protect her.::
::No, but she does not seem like a bad person, either.::
A clear voice called through the door.
"Shae-sama!"
::Even if she does guess disturbingly close to my past.::
Shae smiled gently as a girl who was somewhere around twelve years old burst in, followed by Grove on his crutches- which explained the clatter. The girl flew across the room and plopped herself down at the head of the bed to hug Shae tightly. Said brunette winced over the girl's shoulder, but hugged back,
"Shae-sama, do you remember me?"
Grove chuckled as Shae responded softly, a sad but contented smile gracing her calm features at the presence of the little girl.
"Hai... You're little Kaori... though you are not so little anymore..."
"Kaori, you're probably hurting her, she's on bed-rest, remember?"
Shae chuckled with a wince as Kaori promptly let her go and sat upright.
"It's all right, Grove. If Kaori-chan had been really hurting sessha, this one would have said something."
Kaori shook her head.
"No you wouldn't have! I remember when you helped us! You carried me home even after your midnight duel with that horrible Countess!"
That got D's attention.
::Midnight duel?::
::I bet the kid's dressing it up.::
Shae shook her head.
"You still remember that, Kaori-chan? It was at least six years ago."
The little girl nodded excitedly.
"Haaiiii! I was only five, but I could never forget a fight like that one!"
Shae smiled softly as the little girl launched into an imitation of the battle, making many whooshing sounds and wild arm motions. The brunette finally spoke up again as Kaori ended her imitation, throwing both hands wide, and grinning.
"Maa maa, little one, it was hardly as dramatic as you pretend it to have been. What brings you here today?"
"Momma wants to see you when you feel a little better."
"Amanda? Why didn't she come with you?"
"She's not feeling too well either."
Shae looked at Kaori thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Well, this one is *supposed* to be on bed-rest, but with a little help, sessha can probably make it over to your house to visit..."
::What the-::
::Quiet.::
"Absolutely not!"
Grove left the doorway, coming to a stop beside the bed, where Shae was sitting. He was looking down at the enigmatic brunette, frowning. Her grey gaze looked up at him innocently.
"Then tell me what's wrong with Amanda. Maybe this one can help."
Kaori started speaking before Grove could say anything.
"Momma said to tell you that she couldn't come and visit because she can't play with Ra anymore. Shae-sama, why can't momma play with our cat anymore?"
"She's probably gotten sick, Kaori-chan. Run home and tell Amanda that this one will be over as soon as possible."
With a brisk nod, the twelve-year-old ran off. Shae's piercing silver gaze sought Grove, who refused to look up and meet her eye. Her facial expression was a deadpanned neutral.
"Grove."
Her low one held a world of inflections, urging Sym into commentary, even though he had intended to be quiet for a while so as to not annoy his host farther.
::Geez, D, how many people can say, "You should have told me," "I'm disappointed you did not inform me," "Help me get over there," "Why didn't you tell me," all by inflection on a name alone?::
::Not many aside from my departed father.::
"I'm sorry, Shae, but you're not well. Amanda's request for your advice was simply not as important as getting you into a soft bed."
Shae looked at Grove, who bowed his head, submissively contrite.
"All right all right, don't give me that look. I'll see what I can do to get you over there."
Her reply was a cool one.
"Sessha can get over to Amanda's on her own quite well enough this afternoon. You get to distract Rosalind while sessha accomplishes that task."
::Wow. And she can cow a grown man with a simple look. D, if you're not gonna kill her, then marry her. I would *love* to see what kind of couple you two would-::
::Quiet.::
Grove sighed.
"All right."
He paused before he left, turning back to Shae. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she interrupted smoothly.
"You should have just told sessha in the first place."
He shut his mouth, and left. She flicked her hand, and the door closed, the small privacy bolt sliding home kinetically.
"There is a question in your eyes, D. What is it?"
Her scimitars, heretofore unnoticed, floated neatly to her hands from the foot of her bed.
::D... kinetics. She *has* to be a dhampire, probably a dhampyre, they're the ones with the stronger powers!::
::She has to be either more than a dhampire, or less than one. Human mutants do the same, you know.::
::But D...::
"What are you, by trade?"
::WHAT?!?:: Sym squawked, ::Of all the things you could have asked her, you ask what she does for a living?::
"Sessha is a vagabond. When the bounties present themselves, this one is a vampire hunter, when the town is peaceful, a storyteller, and, whenever possible, sessha uses her ability to Heal almost anything in exchange for room and board. Kind of like a healer's version of singing for her supper- done that, too, once."
Kaori and Amanda
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"If memory serves, she was quite old. You must have used vampiric powers to help you. Strong ones. Stronger than many of the remaining full-blooded vampires."
::She assumes a (long censored phrase) lot.::
::She is simply not stupid. For an ex-hunter, she's surprisingly well-informed.::
She eased herself onto her right elbow, looking at him.
"Have you always been this quiet? Or was it the years as a Hunter, Prince Tepes?"
::D... what name did she just call you? *Tepes*?::
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::One very few living people have ever heard of, though I must wonder why she guessed it. It's my given last name. I never told you because I never thought anyone was left alive who would dare say it.::
"What makes you think I'm a prince of vampires? I'm a dhampire."
"Precisely. You really do look just like him, too."
::D.... D, I don't like this. She knows too much. She knows a name you never even told *me* and I'm a piece of you!::
::Quiet.::
::D! Snap out of it, with anyone else you would already have your sword drawn, D- don't tell me that after all this time your heretofore nonexistent hormones are finally kicking in on someone who knows more about things you never told me and who could probably-::
::She is no barborois. She is also no vampire.::
::D! You're trusting her blindly! D! Stop ignoring me, the broad's dangerous! D!::
She continued in her soft voice, too calmly.
"Then again, who would ever suspect Dracula, King of all Vampires, to have a dhampire son after all?" Here, her voice turned priggish, drawling the next sentence tauntingly, in a mockery of what any vampire would ever say.
"How could the bloodthirsty Vampire King *ever* love a mere mortal?"
She snorted.
"Sessha has seen paintings in various castles of the Vampire King, castles that shortly thereafter crumbled around this one's ears, but nevertheless..."
She regarded D evenly.
"Nevertheless, you are almost a perfect match for those portraits, and you walk in daylight. So, this one is curious. Why are you a Hunter?"
D ignored the question.
"You're certainly well-informed to make such a wild assumption."
Her eyes had been shifting color in different shades of grey for the past few moments' and settled on a storm cloud tone as she met his gaze for a thoughtful moment.
"Though it is not a wild assumption, it does include a few assumed things. One of which is that you have the dagger that matches that sapphire amulet you're always wearing. And if you don't, then you know where to find said dagger, made of silver and platinum, with a double-flat-sided sapphire as a pommel-stone..."
A clatter on the other side of the door interrupted their conversation.
::Lucky save, that. D, we need to get out of here, or you need to take her out. You said it yourself, she's not a human, so you're not obliged to protect her.::
::No, but she does not seem like a bad person, either.::
A clear voice called through the door.
"Shae-sama!"
::Even if she does guess disturbingly close to my past.::
Shae smiled gently as a girl who was somewhere around twelve years old burst in, followed by Grove on his crutches- which explained the clatter. The girl flew across the room and plopped herself down at the head of the bed to hug Shae tightly. Said brunette winced over the girl's shoulder, but hugged back,
"Shae-sama, do you remember me?"
Grove chuckled as Shae responded softly, a sad but contented smile gracing her calm features at the presence of the little girl.
"Hai... You're little Kaori... though you are not so little anymore..."
"Kaori, you're probably hurting her, she's on bed-rest, remember?"
Shae chuckled with a wince as Kaori promptly let her go and sat upright.
"It's all right, Grove. If Kaori-chan had been really hurting sessha, this one would have said something."
Kaori shook her head.
"No you wouldn't have! I remember when you helped us! You carried me home even after your midnight duel with that horrible Countess!"
That got D's attention.
::Midnight duel?::
::I bet the kid's dressing it up.::
Shae shook her head.
"You still remember that, Kaori-chan? It was at least six years ago."
The little girl nodded excitedly.
"Haaiiii! I was only five, but I could never forget a fight like that one!"
Shae smiled softly as the little girl launched into an imitation of the battle, making many whooshing sounds and wild arm motions. The brunette finally spoke up again as Kaori ended her imitation, throwing both hands wide, and grinning.
"Maa maa, little one, it was hardly as dramatic as you pretend it to have been. What brings you here today?"
"Momma wants to see you when you feel a little better."
"Amanda? Why didn't she come with you?"
"She's not feeling too well either."
Shae looked at Kaori thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Well, this one is *supposed* to be on bed-rest, but with a little help, sessha can probably make it over to your house to visit..."
::What the-::
::Quiet.::
"Absolutely not!"
Grove left the doorway, coming to a stop beside the bed, where Shae was sitting. He was looking down at the enigmatic brunette, frowning. Her grey gaze looked up at him innocently.
"Then tell me what's wrong with Amanda. Maybe this one can help."
Kaori started speaking before Grove could say anything.
"Momma said to tell you that she couldn't come and visit because she can't play with Ra anymore. Shae-sama, why can't momma play with our cat anymore?"
"She's probably gotten sick, Kaori-chan. Run home and tell Amanda that this one will be over as soon as possible."
With a brisk nod, the twelve-year-old ran off. Shae's piercing silver gaze sought Grove, who refused to look up and meet her eye. Her facial expression was a deadpanned neutral.
"Grove."
Her low one held a world of inflections, urging Sym into commentary, even though he had intended to be quiet for a while so as to not annoy his host farther.
::Geez, D, how many people can say, "You should have told me," "I'm disappointed you did not inform me," "Help me get over there," "Why didn't you tell me," all by inflection on a name alone?::
::Not many aside from my departed father.::
"I'm sorry, Shae, but you're not well. Amanda's request for your advice was simply not as important as getting you into a soft bed."
Shae looked at Grove, who bowed his head, submissively contrite.
"All right all right, don't give me that look. I'll see what I can do to get you over there."
Her reply was a cool one.
"Sessha can get over to Amanda's on her own quite well enough this afternoon. You get to distract Rosalind while sessha accomplishes that task."
::Wow. And she can cow a grown man with a simple look. D, if you're not gonna kill her, then marry her. I would *love* to see what kind of couple you two would-::
::Quiet.::
Grove sighed.
"All right."
He paused before he left, turning back to Shae. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she interrupted smoothly.
"You should have just told sessha in the first place."
He shut his mouth, and left. She flicked her hand, and the door closed, the small privacy bolt sliding home kinetically.
"There is a question in your eyes, D. What is it?"
Her scimitars, heretofore unnoticed, floated neatly to her hands from the foot of her bed.
::D... kinetics. She *has* to be a dhampire, probably a dhampyre, they're the ones with the stronger powers!::
::She has to be either more than a dhampire, or less than one. Human mutants do the same, you know.::
::But D...::
"What are you, by trade?"
::WHAT?!?:: Sym squawked, ::Of all the things you could have asked her, you ask what she does for a living?::
"Sessha is a vagabond. When the bounties present themselves, this one is a vampire hunter, when the town is peaceful, a storyteller, and, whenever possible, sessha uses her ability to Heal almost anything in exchange for room and board. Kind of like a healer's version of singing for her supper- done that, too, once."